Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-11-12

We came near Moons station, where soma
workmen were engaged on the track. and
the opportunity of getting necessary tools
was too good to be lost. Brown spranp
down and asked a man for a wedge pointed
iron bar with which he was prying. The
man gave it at once and Brown stepped
back with his booty, hut q little disap.
pointed, for one Of the bent, clawfooted
bars for pulling out spikes would have
Deem worth much more, but they had
none. The bar taken was the only one OF
their tools that seemed likely to be OF
value, or more would have been borrowed
by force, il not otherwise.
AS we went on Andrews cautioned his
engineers not to run too fast, which they
inclined to do; all OF us would have
relished more speed in this first part of
the journey. But running on all south
ern roads in war times was slow: our
train was not scheduled at over sixteen
miles all hour. The road itself was OK.
ceedingly crooked, with abundance of
short curves, and. having but light iron
rails, was untitled for high speed. We
were anxious to get past the local freight
that we might test the roads capabilities.
Those on the engine We're very much
amused, AS we ran by station after sta
tlon, to see the passengers come up with
their sachels i'll their hands, and then
shrink back in dismay as We sped past
without u sign of hating. But when by
we would stop and cut the telegraph wire,
80 that no suspicious or inquiries could
he sent ahead.
Thus we passed through Ackworth and
Allatoona, and then stopping again to cut
the wire, also %endeavored to lift a rail
While We were sure that no train from
Big Shanty could follow us, we wished
also to make it difficult for one from At,
tanta, if any should be sent from there, to
run rapidly; and what was Of equal i'm
p%ortancc, we did not wish the local freight
to proceed southwark after We met It, to
he turned back by any pursucrs. \ lifted
rail is Amos sure to throw an unsuspect.
ing train from the track; and We put such
An obstruction before each train that we
met on this journey. Yet the process of
taking up u rail, though we made much
OF 1t, was far from easy with the imper-
feet tools we possessed. A single tool-a
bar constructed expressly for drawing out
spikcs-would have enabled us to battle all
pursuit. But this we did not have, and
more than five minutes We're consumed
for each rail taken up, In battcring out
some spikes with our iron bar and after
ward prying the remainder loose with
handspikes and with the rail itself. This
delay was of no great importance now,
for we had u supcrfluity of time; but in
the quick and terrible struggle further I'M
tho road, when seconds were decisive, it
WAS far otherwise. The rails when lifted
were carried away with lis, and the break
thus left was for n time u barrier 10 u
train not supplied with track laying tools)
as absolute as a burnt bridge. The feel
ing OF security after such obstruction was
very delightful and not unwarranteh. Iu
no case did a pursuing train pass Il place
where we had torn up q rail In time to do
us any damage.
There was an cXultant sense of superl.
GRITTY while running along In the midst Of
our enemies In this manner, such az u
man in u balloon might feel while drift.
Ing over hostile camps, OF o. cr the raging
waves Of the ocean. As long as NIL is we'll
with his balloon the man need not care
what takes place in the world below; and
as long 's OF = engine retained its power
and the track was clear before us, we
were In n similar state OF security. But